MAGLEV RAILWAY SYSTEM AND CONTROL THEREOF

Abstract

A magnetic levitation railway system is disclosed herein. The system comprises a vehicle, a guidance track arranged for supporting the vehicle above the guidance track by magnetic levitation, and at least one linear motor comprising a mover and an elongate stator. The vehicle is provided with the mover and the guidance track is provided along its length with the stator. The linear motor is arranged to generate a propulsion force acting on the vehicle along the longitudinal direction of the guidance track for propelling the vehicle along the guidance track. The at least one linear motor is arranged to further generate a respective normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component. Further disclosed is a method of controlling such a system.

Description

The present invention relates to a magnetic levitation railway system and to a vehicle and guidance track for use therein. The present invention further relates to a method of controlling such a magnetic levitation railway system. Maglev (magnetic levitation) train technology is known as a high-speed and efcient alternative to conventional rail transport. Unlike traditional trains that rely on physical contactbetween wheels and tracks, maglev trains achieve levitation and propulsion through electromagnetic forces, thereby eliminating friction and enabling higher speeds with reduced maintenance requirements. One of the implementations ofmaglev technology is the Transrapid system, which employs a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) for propulsion. In the Transrapid design, coils are integrated into the track to establish electromagnetic interaction with the train. However, over long distances coil costs have been found to be prohibitive. The adoption of the Transrapid system has thus faced substantial economic barriers, at least partially due to the high costs associated with constructing specialised rail infrastructure. The necessity to embed coils within the track not only increases the per-kilometre cost of rail construction but also mandates the development of entirely new infrastructure. Consequently, existing railway networks are incompatible with Transrapid trains, which necessitates separate infrastructure investments and therefore limits the system's scalability and implementation. A more recently proposed Maglev-based system, referred to as the Nevomo system, similarly utilises anLSM for propulsion and incorporates aluminium plates on the exterior of the rails to achieve levitation through eddy current repulsion. Like the Transrapid approach, the Nevomo system's design requires the installation of coils within the track, which further increases the costs. Alternative maglev approaches have explored the use ofpermanent magnets positioned on either side of the rails to provide suspension. However, these systems typically employ wheels for propulsion. The levitation force generated by permanent magnets often proves insufcient for heavier loads such as freight trains, compromising stability and safety. Additionally, the reliance on wheels for propulsion reintroduces mechanical friction, which undermines the primary advantage ofmaglev systems by increasing energy consumption and reducing efciency. Adverse weather conditions, such as moisture, rain or snow, exacerbate these issues by extending braking distances and necessitating larger safety margins due to the unpredictable slipperiness of the rails. It is an object of the present invention, among other objects, to provide an improved magnetic levitation railway system wherein the aforesaid drawbacks are at least partially alleviated. To that end, a magnetic levitation railway system is provided, comprising a vehicle, a guidance track arranged for supporting the vehicle above the guidance track by magnetic levitation, and at least one linear motor comprising a mover and an elongate stator, wherein the vehicle is provided with the mover and the guidance track is provided along its length with the stator, wherein the linear motor is arranged to generate a propulsion force acting on the vehicle along the longitudinal direction of the guidance track for propelling the vehicle along the guidance track, wherein the at least one linear motor is arranged to further generate a respective normal force (also called cogging force) acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component. The at least one linear motor is preferably arranged such that the direction of the normal force is substantially horizontal. Arranging one or more linear motors such that the normal forces have a horizontal component has the following advantage. Although it is known to use a linearmotor in a maglev system wherein the vehicle oats above the track, in such systems the normal force is typically directed vertically downwards to stabilise and control the levitation by countering the upward levitation force. This conguration, however, constrains the selection of the linear motor, as some motors would generate a normal force that is not suitable for such use. For instance, the normal forces may become too large and / or cannot be suitably controlled. On the other hand, arranging the linear motor such that the normal force is directed vertically upwards may be benecial when the stator is suspended below the track and the stator extends above the vehicle, but is inconvenient in case the vehicle is to be levitated above the guidance track provided with the elongate stator. By, instead, arranging the linear motor such that the normal force has a horizontal component, a linear motor with a high power density and an elongate statormade of only steel, such as a linear ux-switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) motor, can be advantageously used. Thus, such an arrangement of the at least one linear motor allows the elongate stator to be a steel stator, which is more cost-efcient than, e.g., an elongate stator with copper windings like in a linear synchronous motor. Such a linear motor is also more efcient than a linear induction motor (LIM), which has an aluminium stator. For example, maglev designs that include the use ofLIMs are typically for low-speed urban maglev systems. Hence, by arranging the linearmotor in accordance with the present disclosure, the installation costs for a magnetic levitation railway system can be reduced, especially over longer distances. This way, an economically viable and widely deployable maglev train system canbe realised. In particular, the vehicle may be used for the transport ofpassengers or freight. For levitation, the system may be provided with an electromagnetic suspension system. Preferably, the vehicle is provided with electromagnets arranged to generate a magnetic levitation force for supporting the vehicle above the guidance track. The electromagnets may be arranged to extend below a ferromagnetic portion ofthe guidance track, wherein the magnetic levitation force is an upward attraction force for levitating the vehicle by attraction to said ferromagnetic portion of the guidance track. The ferromagnetic portion of the guidance track is preferably made of steel, more preferably laminated steel. The stator preferably comprises a plurality of stator teeth distributed along the length of the guidance track. The stator teeth preferably extend and / or protrude substantially laterally from the guidance track and / or face horizontally away from the guidance track. The stator is preferably made of a ferromagnetic material such as steel, more preferably laminated steel. The manufacture and / or installation of such laminated material is cost-efficient as steel plate material is widely available and providing the material in the required shapes is easy and highly automatable. The material is, for example, M235-35A steel with a thickness of 0.35 millimetre. The use of a laminated material reduces induced eddy currents in the stator, and thus reduces eddy current losses. Preferably, the mover comprises one ormore coils arranged to generate one or more electromagnetic elds to generate the propulsion force and the normal force. In particular in case ofpropulsion means for magnetic levitation railway systems, the component of the propulsion means that remains stationary is typically the component that does not comprise electromagnets. The component of the propulsion means that comprises the electromagnets typically moves with the vehicle, and is thus referred to as the mover. Specically, it is preferred that the stator and mover of the at least one linear motor extend substantially adjacent to each other in the horizontal plane. In other words, the stator and mover are preferably positioned at the same height and laterally spaced. This way, it can be ensured that the normal force is substantially horizontal. According to a preferred embodiment of the magnetic levitation railway system, the linearmotor is arranged for using the normal force for horizontal guidance of the vehicle to keep the vehicle centred above the guidance track. Thereto, it is preferred if the system further comprises a guidance control system arranged to control the at least one linear motor for horizontal guidance of the vehicle using said normal force. The magnetic levitation railway system preferably comprises at least one pair of linear motors, wherein the linear motors of the pair are arranged for generating respective propulsion forces acting on the vehicle for propelling the vehicle along the guidance track. Preferably, the respective propulsion forces act in substantially the same direction. The linear motors are preferably spaced laterally from each other. The pair thus comprises a left-side motor and a right-side motor. Providing a pair of linear motors to propel the vehicle with similar forces enhances the stability of the moving vehicle. It is then further preferred if the linear motors of the pair are arranged for further generating respective normal forces acting on the vehicle in respective directions with mutually opposite horizontal components. This way, the normal forces can counter each other to keep the vehicle balanced above the guidance track. According to a further preferred embodiment of the magnetic levitation railway system, the linear motor comprises a switched reluctance linear motor (SRLM), or a linear ux-switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) motor, preferably a modularLFSPM (MLFSPM) motor, more preferably a complementary and modularLFSPM (CMLFSPM) motor, or any other type ofswitched reluctance machine. Switched reluctance machines benecially use stators which are made of a ferromagnetic material such as steel, rather than stators comprising permanent magnets. At the same time, a high power density can be achieved. Alternatively, the linear motor may be a linear induction motor (LIM). Linear induction motors use a stator that is made of a conductive material, such as aluminium, which is also preferred over stators comprising permanent magnets. The use ofpermanent magnets as part of the mover in anLFSPM provides a eld source, which increases the overall efciency of the motor as the volume ofthe electromagnet windings and associated losses is reduced. For a switched reluctance type motor, the stator preferably comprises a plurality of projecting teeth which act as salient magnetic poles. The mover on the other hand comprises a series of projecting electromagnetic poles and electromagnets. The operational principle of the motor is that the movermoves along the stator, and propulsion force is generated by selectively activating specic electromagnets to attract a magnetic pole that is ahead of the electromagnet, and thus unaligned with the electromagnet, and to subsequently deactivate the specic electromagnet as the pole comes into alignment with the electromagnet. In the aligned position, the force generated is entirely in a direction perpendicular to the direction ofmovement. This perpendicular force is the normal or cogging force. The further the respective pole is removed from the electromagnet, the more aligned the force between the electromagnet and the pole is with the direction ofmovement. A switched reluctance motor, in particular anSRLM or (CM)LFSPM, comprises a series of electromagnets. If the pitch between the poles on the stator and the electromagnets on the mover is different, the individual electromagnets will be located at different distances to respective poles. In use, the respective attractive forces between the individual electromagnets and poles are thus less or more in either the normal (cogging) direction or propulsion direction. By momentarily increasing or decreasing the power of individual electromagnets, the ratio of the combined propulsion force and cogging force of the entire mover can thus be changed. In other words, by momentarily changing the commutation angle of the electromagnets in a mover, the normal force acting towards the stator can be momentarily increased or decreased. In particular iftwo movers and corresponding stators are oriented such that the normal forces act towards each other or away from each other, increasing or decreasing the normal force generated by one or both of the movers allows for guidance of the vehicle along the guidance track. By real-time monitoring of the distance between a mover and corresponding stator and adjusting the commutation of the mover based on that, the position of the vehicle on the guidance rail in the lateral direction can be controlled. For horizontal guidance of the vehicle, the guidance control system is preferably arranged to adjust at least one ofthe respective normal forces relative to the other and / or relative to at least one of the respective propulsion forces. More specically, the guidance control systemmay be arranged to adjust the one normal force relative to the other normal force using an angle offset between the one normal force and the respective propulsion force. Preferably, the guidance control system is arranged to adjust the one normal force relative to the other normal force by providing one of the linear motors with a positive commutation angle offset and the other linearmotor with a negative commutation angle offset of the same magnitude as the positive angle offset. This enables an increase of the normal force generated by one of the motors, for instance the left-side motor, and / or a decrease ofthe normal force generated by the other (right- side) motor, or vice versa, while maintaining equal propulsion forces from the respective motors, since a positive angular offset and a negative angular offset of the same magnitude result in the same propulsion force, but one decreases the normal force and the other increases it. This way, the motors can be controlled for horizontal guidance. For example, if the left-side motor ofthe pair is controlled with an angle offset of50 degrees and the right-side motor is controlled with an angle offset of -50 degrees, the motors generate the same propulsion force, which enhances stability, while the guidance force of the left-side motor is increased and the guidance force of the right-side motor is decreased. Said guidance system is especially advantageous in combination with linearux switching motors (LFSM). However, the same principle may be applied in combination with linear induction motors. However, as these motors produce a repulsive force between the stator and mover, rather than an attractive (cogging) force between stator and mover as in case of an LFSM, the guidance principle is inverted compared to what is described above. Moreover, instead of an angle offset, a slip / frequency offset is provided. According to a further preferred embodiment of the magnetic levitation railway system, the guidance track includes a pair ofmutually parallel rail head portions arranged for wheels of a train to roll thereon for the train to travel along the guidance track. This way, a conventional train can also travel along the track. As conventional trains can also use the track, the integration of the magnetic levitation railway system in existing, conventional railway systems can be facilitated. The magnetic levitation railway system thus has improved scalability. Further provided is a magnetic levitation vehicle as such, preferably a vehicle as described above for use in a magnetic levitation railway system according to any of the above embodiments, wherein the vehicle is provided with a mover for a linear motor for generating a propulsion force acting on the vehicle and for generating a normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component. In particular, the vehicle preferably comprises at least two mover units, each comprising a plurality of coils, wherein each mover unit is congured to act as part of a linear motor, wherein each mover unit is arranged to interact with a substantially horizontally adjacent stator to generate a propulsion force and a normal force that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component. It is further preferred if, as described above, the vehicle is provided with electromagnets arranged to generate a magnetic levitation force for supporting the vehicle above the guidance track. Further provided is a magnetic levitation guidance track as such, preferably a guidance track for use in a magnetic levitation railway system according to any of the above embodiments, wherein the guidance track is provided along its length with an elongate stator for a linear motor for generating a propulsion force acting on the vehicle ofthe system and for generating a normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component. In particular, the guidance track preferably comprises at least one elongate stator section extending along the length of the guidance track, wherein the at least one stator section extends vertically to a nonzero height, wherein the at least one stator section is configured to act as the stator portion of a linear motor. The guidance track preferably further comprises at least one ferromagnetic levitation section extending along the length of the guidance track, wherein the levitation section extends horizontally to a nonzero width. Preferably, the levitation section is arranged above the stator section such that a corresponding mover section of a linear motormay pass underneath the levitation section. According to a further preferred embodiment of the magnetic levitation guidance track, the guidance track further comprises a rail head section for a wheel of a conventional train to run thereon. The guidance trackmay comprise a section ofrailway track extending along the length of the guidance track, wherein the stator section extends on one side of the railway track, and wherein the levitation section extends on one side of the railway track. Said section ofrailway trackmay comprise the rail head section. Preferably, the at least one stator section comprises a plurality of stator teeth extending along the length of the guidance track, wherein the plurality of teeth each extend or protrude substantially horizontally. The guidance trackmay comprise at least one elongate L-shaped section extending along the length of the guidance track adjacent to the railway track, wherein one leg of the L-shaped section comprises the stator section and extends substantially vertically. The other leg of the L-shaped section connects to the top of the stator section, extends horizontally away from the railway track, and may be provided with the levitation section. Preferably, the guidance track comprises two L-shaped sections extending on either side of the railway track, wherein the levitation sections of the two L-shaped sections extend outwards and away from the railway track and each other. Preferably, the at least one levitation section and the at least one stator section each comprise a plurality of sheets of laminated steel extending along at least part of the length of the guidance track. The laminated steel thereby forms the elongate stator and enable the magnetic levitation. Further provided is a method of controlling a magnetic levitation railway system according to any of the above embodiments, wherein the method comprises the following steps: - supporting the vehicle of the system above the guidance track of the system by magnetic levitation; - propelling the vehicle along the guidance trackby generating, using the at least one linear motor of the system, a propulsion force acting on the vehicle along the longitudinal direction of the guidance track; - keeping the vehicle centred above the guidance trackby further generating, using said linear motor, a normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component for horizontal guidance of the vehicle. In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: - figure 1 shows a frontal overview of a guidance track; - figure 2 shows a standard rail; - figure 3 shows a perspective view ofthe guidance track; - figure 4 shows a front view of a magnetic levitation railway system; - figure 5 shows the guidance tracks in combination with propulsion / levitation units; - figures 6A, B show schematic views of a linearux switching permanent magnet motor; - figure 7 shows a railway track ramp; and - figure 8 shows a graph of the normalized normal and thrust forces generated by an electric motor. Figure 1 shows a frontal cross-sectional overview of a guidance track 1 for use as part of a magnetic levitation railway system. The guidance track 1 comprises an elongate stator section 21a, b which functions as the stator of a linear motor. The stator section 21a, b extends at least partially in the vertical direction h, such that clearance is created for a mover portion of the linear motor to be placed horizontally adjacent to the stator section 21a, b. The guidance track 1 further comprises an elongate levitation section 23a, 23b which allows a magnetically levitating vehicle (not shown) to levitate using electromagnets that interact with the levitation section 23a, b. The levitation section 23a, b extends at least partially in the horizontal direction to a width w, such that components of the vehicle 10 may pass underneath the levitation section 23a, b. The stator section 21a, b and the levitation section 23a, b form part of a guidance trackbody 2, also called an inverted L-shaped body 2, with one leg comprising the stator portion 21a, b, and another leg comprising the levitation section 23a, b. The stator section 21a, b extends vertically, for example from a surface S, and the levitation section 23a, b connects at the top of the stator section 21a, b. Both the stator section 21a, b and the levitation section 23a, b comprise a plurality of sheets oflaminated steel, respectively 22a, b and 24a, b. The guidance track 1 shown comprises two guidance track bodies 2a, b with the levitation sections extending laterally in opposite directions. In the clearance between the track bodies 2a, b a rail 3 is arranged which allows conventional trains with train wheels to make use of the guidance track 1. Figure 2 shows a standard rail 3, with a standard height web 32 extending between the head 31 and the bottom 33. As the height of the guidance track bodies 2a, b is higher than a standard rail 3, the height of the rail 3 may be increased by increasing the height of the centre web 32 which connects the bottom 33 to the head 31. Alternatively, a conventional rail 3 may be used that is placed on a support to raise the rail 3. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the guidance track 1. The stator section 21a, b comprises a plurality of stator teeth 25a, b extending sideways in the horizontal direction to a width d. Figure 4 shows a front view of a magnetic levitation vehicle 10 and two guidance tracks 1 forming a magnetic levitation railway system. The magnetic levitation vehicle 10 comprises four propulsion / levitation units 11a, b, 12a, b which comprise the mover portion of a linear motor and / or electromagnets to provide the levitation. In the shown embodiment, the magnetic levitation vehicle comprises sets of four laterally spaced propulsion / levitation units 11a, b, 12a, b, such sets being distributed along the length of the vehicle 10 in a mutually spaced manner. Embodiments with such sets ofonly two propulsion / levitation units 11a, b, 12a, b, for instance only the outermost units 12a, b, can also be envisioned. Figure 5 shows the guidance tracks 1 in combination with the propulsion / levitation units 11a, b, 12a, b in more detail. For the sake of simplicity, the technical features will be explained in relation to the leftmost propulsion / levitation units 11a, 12a in combination with the leftmost guidance track 1. The rightmost propulsion / levitation units 11b, 12b are identical, but mirrored. The units 11a, b comprise slot-shaped openings 16a, b to provide space for the levitation sections 23a, b of the guidance tracks 1. In other words, the units 11a, 12a extend around and underneath the levitation sections 23a, b. This allows the units 11a, 12a to be horizontally adjacent to the stator sections 21a, b. The mover sections 13a, b of the linear motors are thus located horizontally adjacent to the stator sections 21a, b. The vehicle 10 further comprises electromagnets 15a-d which are arranged to interact with the levitation sections 23a, b to provide downwards downforce. Similarly, the propulsion / levitation units 11a, 12a comprise electromagnets 14a, b which are located underneath the levitation sections 23a, b and generate an attraction force to lift the vehicle 10 upwards to provide levitation. Depending on requirements, the conguration of the inboard (11a) and outboard (12a) propulsion / levitation units may be adapted. For example, it can be envisaged that only one of the two holds a mover section 13a, b. Figure 6A shows a schematic cross section view of a linear flux switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) motor 13 comprising an elongate stator 21, provided on the track 1, and a set ofmover units 130 provided on the vehicle 10. The shown motor 13 comprises six mover units 130, but this numbermay be larger or smaller depending on requirements. Each mover unit 130 comprises an electromagnet (armature) winding indicated as 131 in gure 6A extending around a permanent magnet 133. The armature windings 131, and permanent magnet 133 are mounted on a mover body 134, which is preferably ferromagnetic and may be geometrically adjusted to adjust and optimize the magnetic field lines generated by the combined permanent magnet 133 and armature windings 131. The stator 21 (earlier referred to as the stator section 21a, b) comprises a plurality of stator teeth 25 which function as magnetic stator poles 25. These poles magnetically interact with the magnetic elds generated by the mover units 130 to propel the mover units 130 along the stator 21 in the direction ofmovement and propulsion M. The pitch Ps between stator poles 25 is different, preferably smaller, than the pitch Pc between armature windings 131 of a mover unit 130. This reduces torque ripple and facilitates the guidance through adjusting the commutation angle ofone or more of the electromagnets 131, as described below. Figure 6B shows a perspective view of anLFSPM motor 13. The armature windings of a mover unit 130 appear to be made up of distinctive parts, all indicated by 131. However, the parts indicated by 131 preferably form a single winding 131 extending around the permanent magnet 133. Figure 7 shows a railway trackramp 3 which allows a conventional train to roll from a rail of regular height 3 onto a rail of increased height 3 as used in combination with the guidance track 1. Figure 8 shows a graph of the normalized guidance (normal or cogging) force and normalized thrust (propulsion) force ofan electric motor, in the present case a linear motor such as a ux switching linear motor, as a function ofthe commutation angle offset. By changing the commutation angle offset of a motor, the instantaneous ratio between the normal and propulsion forces can be changed to facilitate guidance of the vehicle 10 along the track 1. For example, in the case of the system shown in figure 5, if the left-side motor 13a, 13c of each motor pair is controlled with an angle offset of50 degrees and the right-side motor 13b, 13d ofeach motor pair is controlled with an angle offset of -50 degrees, the motors 13 generate the same propulsion force (about 0.82 of the maximum), which enhances stability, while the guidance force of the left-side motors 13a, 13c is increased and the guidance force of the right-side motors 13b, 13d is decreased. That is, at respective angle offsets of50 degrees and of -50 (or 310) degrees, the leftward and rightward guidance forces are respectively about 0.88 and 0.12 of the maximum, such that the net horizontal force can be used to keep the vehicle 10 centred above the tracks 1. The drawings and the above description serve to illustrate specic embodiments of the invention and do not limit the scope of protection dened by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Magnetic levitation railway system, comprising a vehicle, a guidance track that is designed to support the vehicle above the guide track by magnetic levitation, and at least one linear motor comprising a mover and an elongated stator, whereby the vehicle is equipped with the mover and the guide track along its length is equipped with the stator, where the linear motor is designed to generate a thrust force that acts on the vehicle acts along the longitudinal direction of the guide track before along the guide track propulsion of the vehicle, where at least one linear motor is configured to further a to generate respective normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component.

2. System according to claim 1, where the direction of the normal force is substantially is horizontal.

3. System within the meaning of claim 1 or 2, where the linear motor is designed for use of the normal force for horizontal guidance of the vehicle to center the vehicle keep above the guide track.

4. System within the meaning of claim 3, further comprising a conduction control system that is configured to the at least one linear motor for horizontal guidance of the vehicle regulate using the normal force.

5. System pursuant to one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one pair linear motors, where the linear motors of the pair are configured to generate respective propulsion forces acting on the vehicle before it passes the guide rail propelling the vehicle, and where the linear motors of the pair are configured for the further generation of respective normal forces acting on the vehicle acting in respective directions with mutually opposite horizontal components.

6. System in accordance with at least claims 4 and 5, where the conduction control system is designed to at least one of the respective normal forces with respect to the other and / or to adjust with respect to at least one of the respective propulsion forces.

7. System according to claim 6, where the conduction control system is designed to the one to adjust the normal force relative to the other normal force by means of a angular displacement between one normal force and the relevant propulsion force.

8. System according to claim 7, where the conduction control system is designed to the one to adjust the normal force relative to the other normal force by one of the linear to equip the motors with a positive angle shift and the other linear motor with a negative angle shift of the same magnitude as the positive angle shift.

9. System in accordance with one of the preceding claims, where the conductive trace a few comprises mutually parallel rail section sections designed for wheels of a conventional train to roll onto so that the conventional train can run along the guide track to ride.

10. System according to one of the preceding claims, where the mover has one or more coils includes those designed to generate one or more electromagnetic fields to the to generate propulsion force and the normal force. II. System according to one of the preceding conclusions, where the stator a multitude of comprises stator teeth that are distributed along the length of the conduction track.

12. System according to claim 11, in which the stator teeth are predominantly laterally extend from the guide track.

13. System in accordance with one of the preceding claims, where the stator and the mover of the at least one linear motor extending substantially side by side in the horizontal plane.

14. System in accordance with one of the preceding claims, where the stator is made of steel, preferably laminated steel.

15. System in accordance with one of the preceding claims, where the vehicle is equipped with electromagnets designed to generate a magnetic levitation force for the above to generate a guidance track to support the vehicle.

16. System according to claim 15, where the electromagnets are arranged to extend under a ferromagnetic part of the conductive track, whereby the magnetic levitation force is an upward attraction for making the vehicle float by attraction to that ferromagnetic part of the conductive track.

17. System within the meaning of claim 16, where the ferromagnetic part of the The guide rail is made of steel, preferably laminated steel.

18. System according to one of the preceding claims, where the linear motor is a linear induction motor (LIM), a switched reluctance linear motor (SRLM) or a linear ux- switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) motor is, preferably, a modular LFSPM (MLFSPM) engine, more preferably a complementary and modular LFSPM (CMLFSPM) engine 19. Magnetic levitation vehicle for use as the vehicle in a magnetic levitation railway system according to one of the preceding conclusions, where the vehicle is equipped with a mover for a linear motor to generate a thrust force which acts on the vehicle and for generating a normal force that acts on the vehicle acts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and a has a horizontal component.

20. Vehicle within the meaning of claim 19, comprising at least two mover units each a comprise a multitude of coils, where each mover unit is configured to function as part of a linear motor, where each mover unit is configured to work together with a predominantly horizontally adjacent stator to generate a thrust force and a to generate a normal force perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and a has a horizontal component.

21. Magnetic levitation guide track for use as the guide track in a magnetic levitation railway system according to one of the preceding claims 1 - 18, where the The conduction track is provided along its length with an elongated stator for a linear motor for generating a propulsion force that acts on the vehicle of the system and for generating a normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and has a horizontal component.

22. Conductive trace within the meaning of claim 21, where the conductive trace has at least one comprises an elongated stator section that extends over the length of the conduction trace, whereby at least one stator section extends vertically to a height that is not zero, where the at least one stator section is configured to function as the stator section of a linear motor, where the guide track further contains at least one ferromagnetic levitation section comprises that extends over the length of the guide track, whereby the levitation part is extends horizontally to a non-zero width, and where the levitation part above the stator section is arranged so that a corresponding mover section of a linear motor is positioned underneath the levitation section can pass, whereby the guide track further a rail head section includes the surface on which a wheel of a conventional train can run.

23. Guiding track within the meaning of claim 22, where the guiding track is a railway section includes that extends over the length of the guide track and the rail top section comprises, where a stator section extends on one side of the track, and where a levitation section extends on one side of the railway.

24. Conducting trace within the meaning of claim 22 or 23, where at least one stator section is a comprises a multitude of stator teeth extending over the length of the conduction track, where each of the multitude of teeth extends substantially horizontally.

25. Conducting trace according to at least claim 22, where the conducting trace is at least comprises one elongated L-shaped section that extends along the length of the guide track adjacent to the railway, where one leg of the L-shaped section comprises the stator section and extends mainly vertically, and where the other leg of the L-shaped part connects to the top of the stator section and extends horizontally away from the track.

26. Conducting trace according to claim 25, where the conducting trace has two L-shaped comprises sections extending on either side of the track, where the levitation sections of the two L-shaped sections extending outwards and away from the track and from each other.

27. Conduction track in accordance with at least claim 22, where at least one levitation part and the at least one stator part each a multitude of sheets of laminated steel include those that extend over at least part of the length of the guide track.

28. A method for controlling a magnetic levitation railway system according to one of the preceding conclusions 1 - 18, where the methodology comprises the following steps: - supporting the vehicle of the system by magnetic levitation; - propelling the vehicle along the guide track by, with the aid of the at least one linear motor of the system, to generate a propulsion force that on the vehicle acts along the longitudinal direction of the guide track; - keeping the vehicle centered above the guide track by continuing with 5 using the linear motor to generate a normal force acting on the vehicle in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the propulsion force and a horizontal component has for horizontal guidance of the vehicle.

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